Dead girl identified as Samantha Gordon

Medical authorities still don’t know how a young woman whose body was found on Sunday died and there do not appear to be any leads in the case which appears to be a murder in Ladyville. She has, however, been positively identified as Samantha Gordon of Belize City. Today News Five spoke with Samantha’s mother about her daughter’s disappearance and the many unanswered questions.

Today, family and friends of Samantha Gordon remain troubled and disturbed about the way the fifteen year old girl may have died and the way in which her body was discovered last Sunday morning.

Elise Gordon, Mother

“She was happy, laughing, talking. I mean, we are not a household of violence.”

Elise Gordon, remembers how she last saw her daughter on the evening of Friday, November sixth. Gordon says she thought her twin daughter, Samantha, better known as “Sammy,” had accompanied some friends to a basketball game at the City Centre. The group was then supposed to have traveled up to Ladyville to attend a house party in Vista Del Mar.

Elise Gordon

“I was told that they were going to the basketball game and from the opening of the basketball, they were going with friends. I saw nothing wrong with that; it was a Friday evening. Samantha had been home in her bed at nine o’clock most nights, except when she went to take her classes; she was doing CXC.”

However, police say when they questioned Gordon’s friends, they admitted seeing Samantha on that fatal night but when she failed to tell them where they would be going in Ladyville, they refused to go on the trip. The family nevertheless believes that Samantha’s friends do know something.

Elise Gordon

“So it wasn’t that Samantha didn’t have training or didn’t know the rules or didn’t know the etiquette of behavior. She did and she is not deliberately going to put herself in danger.”

Q: “So you believe she knew?”

Elise Gordon

“She knew, she knew, she knew who she was with and she obviously considered them friends.”

Whether or not young Gordon did attend a party in Ladyville, sources tell News Five something took place that night or early Saturday morning down this deserted road to the sea front at Vista Del Mar.

Jacqueline Woods

“At this time, police say they do not know what happened to fifteen year old Samantha Gordon, but when they found her body on the morning of November eight, floating just a couple of yards out to sea, it was naked and had several bruises and cuts to the back and knees.”

According to Dr. Mario Estradabran, the police pathologist, from the postmortem examination conducted so far, it is not known if the girl was raped. But he concludes that the body was in the water for two days. Tests are still being conducted to see if the abrasions found on the body were there before the victim died or if they occurred after. Estradabran says because the body was badly deteriorated, they do not know for certain how the young girl may have died, although all circumstances surrounding the discovery of the body, do indicate foul play.

Elise Gordon

“We have an idea, but I don’t want to say anything now, cause I don’t want to hamper anything that might be found out in the investigation or put anybody on their guard.”

According to Gordon, she knows that her daughter would never go anywhere with a stranger and believes that Samantha fought for her life before she died. Gordon says what is most troubling to her is that her daughter may have died at the hands of someone she knew.

Elise Gordon

“That there are these kind of people living in what I once thought was a jewel and that so much attention is being paid to petty criminals when enough attention is not being given to this. Samantha was dressed, she wasn’t naked, she had on clothes. Where are they? Did anybody look for them? She had on jewelry, they are all gone. Did anybody look for them? She had on a silver Timex; she had gold earrings; she had on a brand new Nike tennis. The clothes she was wearing, she had just took out from the post office. It was sent to her from California, so she had on clothes, where are they?”

Today, as the Gordon family gets ready to bury their beloved daughter and sister, the mother says she would also like to put another rumor to rest.

Elise Gordon

“Having tattoos does not make you or brand you a bad person. Samantha had no gang tattoos or gang markings anywhere. What she had was my name, which I feel if you are going to put somebody’s name, why mine? But my name was on her shoulder. On her back, she had a heart with her name “Sammy” and a butterfly on her leg. And if that is numerous tattoos, then Samantha had numerous tattoos.”

Up to newstime police still had no leads in the case and say their investigation continues.